"When he's not traveling around the world to meet customers, Benioff gets much of his work done at the Hawaii getaway he built with his estimated fortune of $1.3 billion. It's where he spends about one-fourth of his time, relying on a high-definition video feed that keeps him wired with Salesforce's San Francisco headquarters and other offices.

"Nothing will help you let go faster than swimming alongside a pod of dolphins," Benioff told The Associated Press during a recent video interview from Hawaii. "It's an amazing experience. It connects you back to what's really important."

Here are excerpts from the interview with Benioff, who wore a "Relax" T-shirt as a wooden Buddha figure loomed in the background.

Q: Do you get good ideas when you're swimming with the dolphins?

A: I have gotten some of my best insights when I have been able to surrender myself to nature like that. I attribute Salesforce's great performance to my ability to work in Hawaii.

I try to adopt a Zen perspective of a beginner's mind. And I think the best way to get a beginner's mind is to get to an environment like this where you can kind of let go."

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Interesting. My friend Blaine Kahoʻonei works for Salesforce.com and has been looking for a way to move back to Hawaiʻi. Marc should consider a satellite office :-) We have been pitching Google on the idea of a R&D office in Hawaiʻi for years. It would be a great way to reward top techies and provide an inspiring environment for innovation.